The Pegasus»Galleries: Viking Kiln and Furnace Building (Oct. 23, 2013)

Viking Kiln and Furnace Building (Oct. 23, 2013)

Students gathered in behind the Western Shore dorms to build Viking-style bloomery kilns and glass bead furnaces with Dr. Schindler and visiting Early Medieval experts Darnell Markewitz and Neil Peterson.

Location: Campus Garden

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Dr. Lampman and Dr. Markin brought a contingent of Washington College students to the Four Corners region of the United States to explore the cultures and environment from an anthropological perspective.

Early Medieval experts Darnell Markewitz and Neil Peterson came to campus for several days of workshops and instruction about Viking history and technology. Invited by the College’s own expert in early technology, anthropology professor Bill Schindler, the two visitors delivered a free, public talk titled “Norse America — What Really Happened.”

For the remainder of the week, Markewitz and Peterson focused on the on-campus construction and operation of a Viking-age bloomery kiln and several smaller Viking-age glass bead furnaces. Over the course of two days, Washington College students recreated these technologies entirely from scratch, using the same materials and techniques the Vikings would have used. After the kiln and furnaces were completed, students had the opportunity to actually smelt iron and replicate Viking glass beads.